Connections
by Dreams-of-Oompa-Loompas
Summary: She had much to learn about the Cullens. EdwardBella, JacobOC. T for safety. Chapter 2 up!
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Except for Claire. ;)

A/N: This is my first Twilight fanfic, and even so, I'm making it more AU than possible. :D Ok, not totally true, but I'm adding in my own character(s), so yeah, it's pretty AU.

Summary: The story takes place a few weeks after New Moon ended. When life is just getting back to normal for Bella Swan and the Cullens, a new girl moves to Forks, who changes everything. Edward/Bella, Jacob/OC

Review please! I love reviews, they encourage me to write faster!!!!

**Connections- Prologue **

It was raining again.

Not that I expected any different. Winters back home were just as rainy. The only difference was that there was a lot less lightning here; which was just fine with me.

It'd been raining non-stop the past three days. I didn't mind: I didn't exactly have anywhere to go; I hadn't made any friends here yet. Usually I loved the rain. I was one of those strange people who were cheered up by the rain. But today it mattered because I had to drive to school. I'd only had my license a few months, and driving in the rain made me anxious.

"I hate driving in the rain." I muttered to myself at the breakfast counter.

"Would you rather walk?" Robert, my brother, joked annoyingly. Kicking a box aside as he sat down at the counter and pulled a bowl and box of cereal toward himself. I scowled and ate my Poptarts in silence.

_Stupid rain. How am I supposed to play soccer in this? I haven't seen sun in a week. _He stabbed at his cereal with his spoon. That's the other strange thing about me. I sort of…read minds.

Basically, I'm a freak. Whatever. I accept it. I embrace it. I'm sure there are others that are more unusual than me out there. I've gotten used to it in the last 10 years or so.

It all started when I was six, and (stupidly) ran on a wet floor and crashed through the window. And fell off the 2nd floor. I _was_ six.

The doctors said I had a concussion and some cuts, and they sewed me back up. A few weeks later, I started to read minds. Being the naïve six-year-old I was, I didn't know that not everyone could do that. Later I "trained" myself how to control it, so as to not have fifty minds screaming in my head all at once.

"Claire, can I have a ride today?" Robert asked me, interrupting my train of thought.

"Mom's taking you," I absently replied, as I thought nervously of the approaching school day. We'd moved to Forks only a few days ago, after my mom was transferred. She persuaded my dad and brother into moving, and here we were. I had been completely against the idea. I was never any good at making friends or fitting in. The mind-reading thing didn't help. Other than my tight-knit group of friends back home, I was basically an outcast. And even my friends didn't know of my "special-skill."

I sighed, tossing my backpack over my shoulder. I was already in a slight-hunched position, ready to defend myself against the new day. I said my good-byes to my parents and brother, and quickly stepped out the door in fear of being late. As I stepped out, a soft breeze twirled my pale brown hair around in the wind. It was only lightly drizzling, which I was relieved in.

Weaving my way carefully through the streets, I arrived to Forks High School nearly late. I parked quickly and sprinted to what looked to be the front office. It was pouring now, and I'd forgotten to put up my hood.

I entered the office breathless and dripping water on the tile.

"Hi, I'm new here." I breathed quickly. "Claire Picardal?"

The woman gave a short smile and shuffled through some papers. _Third one in two years. My they are flowing in fast._

I bit my knuckles in an attempt to stifle a laugh. I wondered if her thought was accurate. I knew the school had a tiny population of students, but could I really be the only new student here in so long?

The woman handed me my schedule with a smile, her thoughts wandering back to her work. I pulled up my hood, and hurried my way to the building closest to the front office, where a large number 2 was printed on the wall. My first class was there.

I walked quickly, my mind weaving in and out of kids thoughts absently, when I suddenly slammed into another girl. She had dark hair and a pale, heart-shaped face, a grumpy expression on her face. But that was all I got to see of her before we slammed to the ground, papers flying.

"Oh, I'm sorry," the girl said, as we climbed to our feet and started to collect our things. I noticed her hands were scraped and bleeding, but she didn't seem to care. Then I noticed another thing.

I couldn't read her mind. It was as if there was no one standing in front of me. I blinked, staring at her as she picked up her books. She wasn't looking at me, but I caught her name from another kid's mind as a few people stopped to stare at the new girl. The rain was coming to a stop, the sun peeking out from behind the clouds. But I was still staring at "Bella" in frustration. Why couldn't I read her mind?

"Are you new here?" She asked, standing up. Her expression changed from grumpy, to a polite one. She was looking at me just as curiously as I did at her. It was almost as if she understood my frustration of not being able to read her mind. But how many mind-readers could she know?

Shaking off her expression, she gave a small smile. "I'm Bella Swan."

I nodded. "Claire Picardal."

"Nice to meet you," Bella nodded. "I was new here last year. It's not so bad." She politely told me. "Sorry about knocking you over." She said after a pause.

"Don't worry, I do it all the time," I replied absently, still irritated over why I couldn't read her mind. This had never happened to me before. She smiled and said goodbye, walking off in another direction. I let out a frustrated sigh, and walked to my first class, mulling over this latest dilemma.

The day went by without much more excitement. Some people were pretty nice: one too many guys offered to show me around. I wasn't used to so much attention: it disconcerted me. Jessica, one of the girls in my computer typing class and Spanish was eager to hang around with me. Hearing her thoughts, it was obviously because of all the attention I was getting.

It was at lunch where I first saw _them_. Alice and Edward Cullen: Edward who was Bella's boyfriend. They sat at the same table as Jessica, Mike, Angela, and a few other kids I'd met today. The table was mixed with seniors mostly, and a few juniors like me. It was clear that Bella was the connector between these distinctly separate worlds.

Edward Cullen was godlike. He was like a sculpture come to life, a moving masterpiece. His bronze hair fell in his face gracefully, his skin so pale in was nearly white. He had dark shadows under his eyes, like he hadn't been sleeping well the past few days, but his eyes were an amazing topaz color, staring at Bella intensely.

Alice too was so beautiful it took your breath away, though their appearances were clear. She was about a foot shorter than him, with dark pixie-shaped hair and a pale face as well. She was as graceful as Edward, dark shadows under her eyes as well. Both of them had a tray in front of them, but neither was touching the food.

I sat at the table, across from Bella and near the Cullens. Bella gave me a nod and a grin, and then turned back to Edward as Jessica introduced me to everyone at the table, turning sullen as she pointed out Edward and Alice. Edward and Bella stared intensely at each other, as they and Alice were in a low conversation. I stared blankly at my food, listening once in a while to what both sides of the table were talking about. Unfortunately, most of thoughts on the other side were focused on me. I heard Bella say something about the upcoming senior graduation, giving a hint to something in her undertone. Edward's face grew serious, and I decided to listen in on his thoughts, as I couldn't hear Bella.

_Why would you want to become a monster like me?_ He thought to himself, shaking his head. My mouth fell open and my eyes widened in surprise. What could he possibly be talking about?

His gaze suddenly turned to me, intense and fierce. And I knew from his expression. He could hear my thoughts too. No one else was paying attention to me other than Bella and Alice, who could sense something was wrong. I stared in fear, feeling myself flinch and hunch down, looking away quickly. He quickly closed his mind off so I could hear no more, and with a quick mutter to Alice so fast I nearly missed it, the three of them stood, walking away. Bella glanced back at me quickly, but their absence went unnoticed by the rest of the table, who had turned their attention back to me.

I wanted to get up and follow them, and figure out the bigger mystery that had unfolded just now. What did he mean by monster? There was something about both of them, all three of them were hiding something. I tried to pick something out of the other kids' minds, who had now noticed the disappearance of the trio. All I got was that the Cullens had kept to themselves the three years they had been here, and last year, Edward had unexpectedly begun to date Bella. Than, this year, in the beginning of the school year, the Cullens had suddenly up and left, leaving Bella in a zombie state. It was only just over a month ago that they'd returned, and everyone just getting used to them being around again.

I had a nagging feeling in my stomach, suddenly felt like I was in great danger. As it was only my first day, I couldn't walk out of school with everyone's attention on me.

Feeling sick, I struggled through the rest of the day, doing badly in PE. I was never one of the most graceful, tripping and stumbling over even the flattest of grounds. It was only required for one semester back in my old school, though I still hadn't taken it there either. I was only a junior.

Coming out of PE at last with only a few bruises on my arms and knee, I felt my chest tighten, my instincts telling me to run. But why? What danger was there around here? Feeling anxious, I walked to my small car, which stood out in a parking lot full of trucks and older cars. A silver Volvo caught my eye, and I looked at it with interest. I loved cars, and everything about them. My blue PT Cruiser wasn't my dream car, but it was my mom's old car, and I took it willingly rather than nothing at all. I'd left PE early on the excuse of being sick, but I suddenly had a feeling it was a bad choice.

Before I could blink, I felt two hands tighten around my arms, spinning me around so fast I lost my breath.

"Who are you?" A fierce voice I faintly recognized asked. _Why are you here? _

Looking at my persecutor's face, I realized it was Edward Cullen. And he knew my secret. I took in a deep breath, gasping in pain as his hands were too tight around my arms. He realized this and released it a bit more. Now I was sure. He could read my mind as well.

"I'm not here for you, or your family." I responded to his concerns. "I just moved here, I didn't know anything about you." But what could he possibly fear I'd discover? I knew his mind-reading secret, as we both shared it, but why was he so concerned for Bella and his family? What was it about them?

_Nothing you should know, _he replied in his mind, letting my arms go as his tight expression relaxed a little more now that he knew I wasn't there specifically for him.

_You're different. More than this mind-reading thing._ I thought, looking at him curiously. I tried to delve further in his mind as he tried to close it off, but it wasn't working: I was digging into his thoughts, past his worries for his family, past his stronger than life feelings for Bella, trying to find what he was hiding-

"STOP." _Stop!_ Edward thought and said it aloud simultaneously. I'd never experienced it for myself, but I could understand how he felt right now. Being a mind-reader, he was the one in charge who knew what was going on, no one else going into his mind. He didn't like me going through his thoughts. I flinched at his voice, suddenly knowing what he was hiding.

"I won't tell." I softly said, nervously looking at him, his face fierce and angry. But could his secret be true? Vampires were a thing of stories and nightmares. How could he be standing here, under the daylight sky, when supposedly vampires couldn't come out in the day? Shouldn't I feel more in danger, with no one else around?

_I won't hurt you,_ he thought, falling back into a more relaxed stance as he saw from both my thoughts and expression that I wouldn't betray his secret. So quickly I didn't realize it, Alice was standing at his side, and she gave Edward a nod at something.

"You have to come with us." Edward said in a serious tone as he walked toward the silver Volvo and climbed in. I stared after him for a moment in shock, then turned to Alice as she started to follow after him.

"Don't worry," she smiled, her voice light and musical, "we're vegetarians." She walked to the car and I followed, climbing into the back with her, somehow feeling more at ease. They definitely didn't seem like they were going to hurt me.

I noticed Edward talking low to someone in the front seat, their voices hushed and anxious. The person turned around, and of course, it was Bella. She gave me a small, worried smile, and Edward sped off, driving down the streets at the fastest speed the car would drive. The car was silent, and I didn't try to read any minds, feeling still a little worried.

We pulled up at a large, beautiful house, hidden among the woods. Everyone got out of the car, and I followed the graceful Cullens to the door, tripping over a root and nearly knocking Bella over again.

As we entered what appeared to be the living room, Alice and Edward had a low argument about leaving Bella out of the "family meeting" or something.

"She's not the vampire Edward. Bella will be fine." Alice said with finality, as they entered another room. I sat in silence, the house was quiet, though I knew there was a low, possibly angry, conversation going on about me in the next room. I felt like I was being tried for murder, rocking back and forth anxiously in my seat. Bella stared in the direction of the other room thoughtfully, neither of us knowing what to say. I wondered what she was thinking, and wondered if Edward could read her thoughts or not. Bella certainly didn't look like the others: she wasn't one of them, though for some reason, she knew their secret.

I blinked and the next thing I knew, five people were standing around me. I nearly fell out of my seat in surprise.

"So…you know our secret." The man who seemed to be the head of the family stated. I stared around at the others, all of them looked like they belonged on a runway, and it was a shock to me. I gave a nod, unable to speak.

"But you're not going to tell anyone." I gathered from his mind that his name was Carlisle. He was still a little suspicious, but his expression was calm and gathered. If the rest of his family knew I could read minds, they were probably only speaking aloud for Bella's benefit.

"I told you, I had a vision. You can trust her." Alice added.

"You can trust me." I said, my voice stronger than I'd thought.

No one said anything for a moment, than the small, light-haired woman who stood next to Carlisle spoke. "Well than, maybe she should get to know who we are than. I'm Esme." She smiled good-naturedly.

"Claire." I nodded, still feeling a bit nervous. Had I just been accepted by a group of vampires? The idea seemed unrealistic to me.

"You know me and Edward by now," Alice flashed a smile at me. "This is Jasper," she gave him an encouraging look. He gave a nod at me and I suddenly felt much calmer.

"Emmett and Rosalie, our other _siblings_, aren't here right now." Alice said, and I nodded, having heard the names from some other kids' thoughts.

The room emptied, leaving only Bella and Edward. I stood awkwardly by the window.

"So, you read minds?" Bella asked curiously.

"Yeah…but for some reason not yours…" I replied, looking at Bella in confusion. Did Edward run into this problem?

"No one has been able to yet." Edward replied. "Forgive me if I hurt you earlier," he apologized.

"It's fine," I shook my head, giving him a small smile. It was still strange to be around people who looked like models. Vampires. Vampires. Vampires. The word was still strange in my head.

"Have you always been able to read minds?" Edward asked curiously.

"Erm, no…not really. I had an…accident when I was a kid." I bit my lip, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.

A light smile grew on his face. "You fell out a second-floor window?"

"I was six!" I emphasized, scowling at the fact that he could read my mind as well.

"Excuse me, you claimed once I fell down 3 flights of stairs and out the window," Bella pouted at some memory. Edward frowned.

"The situation called for it." His mind recalled memories of Bella on the floor of some building, crying in pain. I shuddered.

"Sorry. I'm used to listening in on people's thoughts without them knowing." I explained, shifting from foot to foot.

_Years of practice help._ Edward thought in his mind and I heard it.

_And how old are you, exactly?_ I questioned. He smiled.

_Nearly 110._ He said with a wry grin. It was probably difficult for him to explain his darkest secret to a person he just met. I said nothing, swallowing as I tried to let it sink it.

"Are you guys having a conversation in your minds?" Bella asked with slight annoyance.

"Why, is it bothering you?" Edward turned to her with a smug smile.

"And you always complain about how torturous it is to not hear my thoughts," Bella replied, rolling her eyes as Edward let out a soft laugh.

"Silly Bella," he chuckled, and I turned, looking out the window and letting them have their moment. The view outside was beautiful, looking right into the woods. The sky was dark and gloomy, crowded with clouds.

"Would you like a tour of the house?" A voice asked behind me, and I recognized it as Alice's.

"S-sure." I replied shakily, than cursed myself for not holding it together. Alice smiled and motioned for Edward and Bella to follow.

As we took a quick tour of the rooms, I wasn't too surprised to find that there were no beds in any of the bedrooms. So, did they sleep? Coffins? Probably not.

"No coffins," Edward said from behind me. I frowned, unused to other people hearing _my _thoughts. It was usually the other way around.

"Yes, well, I could say the same thing for myself." He replied to my thoughts again, and I sighed.

"Could you not do that? Reply to my thoughts? It's still a bit unnerving for me." I said.

"He does that whether or not he's listening to your thoughts," Bella added in. I laughed, feeling a little better that I wasn't alone in knowing their secret.

After we headed back down, I stood, not knowing what to do.

"Maybe it's time to go home?" Edward suggested, looking at the clock that read 6:04. School had ended about 3 hours ago, so that was probably right. I'd still have to explain to my parents where I was. Though they'd be glad to know I'd made friends so fast. I laughed dryly in my head, thinking of the method I had of acquiring them.

"Yeah, probably," I bit my lip, nodding.

" Alice has already gotten your car, it's parked in the driveway," Carlisle added as he came in to the room.

"How did she-?" I shook my head. There was a lot I'd have to learn about them.

Getting into my car, I took a last glance at the Cullen house, where Edward and Bella watched from the window and Alice waved me off with a smile. I'd seen her have one vision, where apparently we were shopping and having fun. So maybe we'd be good friends. I hoped this would turn out ok. And who knows, maybe it could be for the best?

I turned out onto the road, following Alice's instructions on how to get back to the main road. I opened my windows and let in the drizzle come in and wash my face refreshingly. This could be the start of something good.

A/N: Finally, I finished it! XD I'm so glad! I already have Chapter 1 written, so I'd love to hear what you think. Be critical: I can take it. I only want to improve. So, you want more? REVIEW!


	2. When Nothing Else Exists

**A/N: **Yay, it's chapter one! Woot! Now it shall all make much more sense. XD ::rubs hands together and laughs evilly::

So, just remember, review, critique, I can take it. I'm experienced. ;D Just be polite about it, not all "OMG THIS STORY SUCKS YOU ARE A HORRIBLE WRITER I HATE YOU U DISGRACE TWILIGHT" and such…please. :D

* * *

**Connections-**** Chapter One**

"Ooh," I cooed as I looked at my new gift, two CD's of my favorite bands. "Thanks!" I smiled at Carlisle and Esme, thanking them repeatedly.

"Now my gift," Alice said, giving me a grin. I sat there, waiting, and she stayed motionless, staring out a window.

"Well?" I asked a bit impatiently, then suddenly gasped. Bella groaned a second later as I ran to the window, pressing my face happily to the glass as little snowflakes started falling to the ground, the dirt already covered in a thin layer of snow.

"Oh my god, Alice!" I cried gratefully. "You knew it would snow!"

She smiled. "And we have the perfect yard for a snow-ball fight," I grinned widely at her response. Bella groaned in response, muttering something under her breath as Edward gave a low laugh and pulled her close. I threw my jacket on, ready to leap outside in the snow. It had unfortunately only snowed twice this last month, and one of those times I was asleep. I heard Bella murmuring to Edward under her breath, asking to stay inside, and I threw her a pleading face, wanting all my best friends to celebrate with me on my birthday.

"Don't you want your gift?" Alice asked with a sly smile. I paused, tilting my head like a confused puppy.

"I thought this was my gift…?" I questioned.

She held out a box, and I lunged for it. She pulled it back fast with a laugh.

"Ooh! Yes! Alice I want my gift! You know how materialistic I am!" I reached for it, hands stretching though I knew if Alice wanted to keep it from me she would.

"And I'm glad for that every day." She grinned. She loved to take me shopping, and on a few occasions we were able to drag Bella along as well. Just last weekend she had taken me to Japan for a "sleepover"; though since Bella insisted in staying home, she spent the "sleepover" with Edward, and we went shopping throughout Tokyo. I saw more of that foreign country in two days than I ever had of my home state of Florida in my entire life.

She handed me the box, and I tore at the gift wrap as Edward and Bella paused to watch me open my gift.

"Ahhh!"I squealed in happiness as I tore at the remaining paper fiercely. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" I grinned widely at Alice and Edward, clutching my gift to my chest. Both of them had done a good job blocking their thoughts all week. Today, all Alice had done was hum 'Happy Birthday' all day long.

"At least someone lets us spend money on her birthday," Edward teased Bella. She rolled her eyes and looked back to me. I hugged my brand new iPhone happily. "I love you," I cooed to the phone. "I shall call you Steve." I smiled, still cooing. Edward looked at me with raised eyebrows while Bella and Alice laughed.

"Coming?" Emmett asked from the doorway with a wide grin, and I laughed, heading out the living room. As I headed out, I touched the decorations with a faint smile, a large 17 circle, only a piece of a long chain. Alice had gone all out with decorating the room for my party, which she had insisted on being here, at the Cullen house.

I looked out the window again, a big smile on my face that I didn't bother to hide, and ran outside to join the others. As I left, I slipped and nearly fell flat on my face on a patch of ice, but Emmett caught me by the arms, laughing.

"Are all humans this clumsy?" He asked me jokingly, thinking of how the only two humans he interacted with both fell on their faces a lot.

"No…" I scowled, but ironically, Bella stumbled out the door and was only saved by Edward, who caught her and wrapped his arms around her waist for safety. Emmett roared now, his statement proven only because there were no other humans around to disprove it.

Suddenly, I caught a snowball in the face. I coughed, and spit out a bit of mushy snow. Emmett was grinning widely, and I bent down to make a snowball, but another ball caught me in the back, Alice giggling from a few yards behind me. I made some deformed snowballs and tossed them fast at Emmett, than spun to get Alice, but of course, being the vampires they were, they dodged them, Alice let one smash her shoulder just to be fair. I let out a playful scream as they started to attack me with the wet snow, Edward joining in on the fight while Bella raised her arms in defense. I managed to dodge a few by picking up the thoughts of who was going to throw them at me, but I was mauled by snowballs nonetheless, ducking down low while the fight continued above me. I fell back into the snow, now a much thicker layer, and covered my face, raising an arm.

"Ok! I surrender! The vampires win, humans are losers!" I cried out, but the snowball fight went on among them. I tried to get up, but was sunk in the snow, my jacket thick but dripping with the melted snow.

"Help!" I cried out in feign terror, flailing my arms. "Birthday girl stuck!" I let out a frustrated sigh, and Bella came over to yank me out.

"I don't understand why you hate the snow." I said to Bella as she wiped some snow from her jacket.

"It's cold and wet, the two things I hate," Bella replied as we watched the others throw snowballs at each other at speeds faster than they could follow.

"Come on, it's my birthday, let me at least shove a snowball in your face," I teased, a smile on my face. She rolled her eyes but smiled, giving a small snicker.

A snowball smacked into her arm, and Bella jumped, hiding behind me and using me as a shield.

"Please Bella, please!" I pleaded with a smile. "It'll be fun!"

"Claire, come' on, we'll let the human have some lenience," Alice called as Edward headed back to us. I watched him walk toward us in awe for a moment, looking amazingly graceful and beautiful with the snow in his hair, and I tensed, hoping he wasn't listening to my thoughts. But thankfully, he was paying attention to me, but to Bella, trying to read her expression. I wasn't sure if I felt jealous of that or not.

See, in the last month, as my friendship with the Cullens and Bella progressed, so did my crush…on Edward. One might think it would be difficult to hide from a mind-reader, but Edward so often paid attention to Bella, and only her. After all, they were…soul-mates. I shuddered.

"Claire!" Alice called to me, and as I turned, a snowball hit me in the chest. I opened my mouth in surprise, and then laughed cynically, bending down to make a snowball. I threw them at Alice and she played fair-game, letting them hit their designated targets. We played for a little longer, then I started to run out of breath. Alice didn't mind, heading back inside to find Jasper. I sat back on the cold snow, watching as Rosalie came out, and Emmett's attention immediately went to her. Edward and Bella were talking now; he pulled her close and was talking low to her, making her blush. Emmett and Rosalie were discussing dirty things, and I moaned in disgust, closing off my mind from any intruding and possibly dirty thoughts.

I looked up and saw the clouds high in the sky, hiding the sun. I should be getting home around now-my mom wanted me back after lunch, and I wasn't sure whether Esme would feed us.

I stood, and walked over to Edward and Bella. "Sorry guys, I'm going to have to go if I want time to stop for lunch-"

"Don't worry," Edward smiled, "we ordered a pizza."

Both Bella and I raised our eyebrows. "You did?" Bella asked in surprise.

"Well, it's good to do that once in a while. Makes us seem a bit more human," he teased as he pulled Bella close.

Apparently they had ordered the pizza a while back, because it arrived only a minute later, and the two of us ate it up fast. Well, me faster than Bella, because he cracked up when she began to stuff her face with pizza, and she scowled, eating her pizza more daintily. I watched the interaction between all the couples around the room: Bella and Edward, Jasper and Alice, Emmett and Rosalie, even Carlisle and Esme; and I felt jealous, that I was sitting alone, hands in my lap, humming an Elisa song.

"You know, you really shouldn't think like that," Edward said. I stiffened, singing the song in my head louder.

"Thinking like what?"

"Listening to your thoughts is like listening to a radio." He laughed.

"What?" I blinked in confusion. What was he talking about?

"No matter what you're thinking, you're always humming a song in your mind." He explained. "It generally goes with your emotions."

I crossed my arms. "And what songs am I humming right now?"

"Right now?" Edward paused. "You're thinking of 'Hysteria' again. You do tend to favor that one." _You tend to hum a lot of sad love songs_. He privately said in my mind. I stiffened but passed it off as a joke, rolling my eyes.

"Just wondering this, but I'm going on a limb since we got pizza; are we getting cake?" I asked with a smile at Alice. She went into another room and brought out two cupcakes. I cheered and clapped my hands together, jumping up and down happily. I took a deep breath and blew out the candles.

"We'll be back in a few days," Edward said to Bella, holding her hands in his large ones. He lifted them up and pressed them delicately against his face, giving her a worried smile. I could hear in his mind that he was nervous, as always, about leaving her to go hunting. "Emmett will be staying behind to watch," Edward continued, as Bella squeezed his hand, smiling up at him. They kissed and I turned to Alice, giving her a wry smile.

"So, just stuck around for my birthday party?" I joked.

"Of course." Alice joked back. "By the way, bundle up tonight." She winked. _More snow._

I grinned happily, then watched as Edward and Alice left out the door. Bella stood at the door a few seconds longer than usual, then turned to me.

"Movie?" I asked with a smile.

"That depends on what you brought," she replied with a half-smile.

"How about Monty Python and the Holy Grail?" I asked hopefully.

"No way." She shot me down again. Darn.

"It's a classic!"

Rolling her eyes, Bella scoffed. "A classic tale of idiots running around in tights." She sighed in frustration and sat down. "Anything else you feel like watching?" She asked, sitting on the couch.

I sighed, knowing I'd never get my way. Bella and I disagreed completely on movie taste, despite our similar tastes in books and music.

"Depends, how do you feel about the classics?"

"My use of classics or yours?"

"Erm…" I quirked my mouth in hesitation. "A bit in between." _Miiiiinneee._

"You want to see The Godfather again, don't you?" she asked in playful annoyance.

"Yes! You understand me so well!" I grinned. In the last month, she'd most definitely gotten accustomed to my movie choice. And the method I used to get my way.

"Fine. Start it up. I'm assuming you brought it?" True, she wouldn't have it in her house.

"All set with my movies," I smiled, holding up my sleepover duffel bag. Tonight I was sleeping over, with the consent of my parents and Charlie, and I'd come prepared to make sure Bella didn't force me to watch Romeo and Juliet again. The movie was fine the first three times around, but come on! She got so weepy, especially when Edward was here and they gave each other 'looks'.

There was a knock on the door, and Bella got up, walking over to the door. The phone rang, and I got up, following Bella to the closest phone in the hallway by the door. I picked it up and answered for Bella.

"Swan residence, hello?" I responded.

"Claire, it's Alice." Alice said in a fast voice, though I could've recognized her voice either way. "Don't let Bella open the door, it's a wolf-" she started, but I saw Bella open the door to reveal a tall, gorgeous guy, his dark hair chopped off messily, wearing only jeans and holding his shirt in his hand. I dropped the phone as my mouth fell open, but more than just his obvious looks, I felt strong waves of heat course through my body. He opened his mouth to speak to Bella, then caught my eye and froze, our eyes locked. I felt my body tingling as if I'd been stung by currents, my head spinning as I stared into his dark, chocolate eyes.

After what seemed an eternity, he dropped my gaze, muttering quickly to Bella that he had to go. He leapt up, and as he came down, suddenly a red wolf was in his place, streaking away into the distance, tearing off faster than I'd ever seen any of the Cullens go. I stared out the doorway for a minute, even after Bella closed it and gave me a strange look. She picked up the phone, eyebrows furrowed together.

"Hello?" She asked, and Alice was talking in a low voice, and I could tell it was slightly strained from over the phone.

I felt my blood pounding in my head, my chest constricted tight. I was feeling hot all over, suddenly dizzy and sick. I walked over to the couch in a daze, and nearly collapsed on top of it.

Bella looked over to me and spoke to Alice quickly while my head spun. Who was that guy? Why did he have such an effect on me? Could it be the vision Alice was trying to keep me from reading? If it was…then he was a werewolf. But that would mean…he imprinted on me…?

I slunked onto the couch, my head overloading with thoughts. Try as I might, to think about what just happened, the most I could picture of it were his eyes, staring into mine so intently.

"Claire?" Bella's voice called me a moment later, slight panic in her voice. I blinked and sat up, still looking off distantly.

"Claire, are you okay?" Bella asked as I sat their, motionlessly. I turned to her, thoughts still muddled.

"Yeah, fine, I-I just need to go home and think right now." I managed, though I wasn't sure how I'd get home the way my mind was overloaded right now. I stood and gave a wave goodbye to her, leaving the house. I paused on her porch, looking out into the woods by Bella's house. I had a feeling as if I were being watched, but my mind was too confused to try and hear the thoughts of those around me. I walked out into the rain, lifting my face to it for a moment in hope it would clear my head for the drive. Ready to face what had just happened, I climbed into my car and started it up, shaking my hair out as I turned on the air full blast, still feeling warm and feverish.

Letting out a sigh of frustration, I looked back into the woods, staring between the trees, where I could have sworn I saw a flash of familiar red fur…

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A/N: Sorry guys, but I have no idea what imprinting is like, so I just made that kinda up. I know _what _it is; I just don't know what it feels like when it happens, obviously, because it hasn't happened to me. :) lol. Also want you to know, NO she is not turning into a werewolf, haha. So anyways, I'll post up the next chapter soon I hope, it's a good one, though a bit short. Hoped you like this one! Review! 


	3. Stalking

A/N: So, it's been a while since I updated. Yikes. I actually had about half of Chapter 2 written out, but ff-net erased it. Blah. Anyways, I didn't like it much anyways. So I had to rewrite it, and I'm hoping it's bette than the original, which kinda sucked. Hehe.

**Thanks to my awesome beta, CharoletteLee! :)**

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**Connections-Chapter 2**

_Claire._

Somewhere in the subconciousness of my mind, I heard my name called. It stirred me and I sat up suddenly, breathing heavily. It was dark and sometime past midnight; rain was tapping on my window lightly.

_Why Claire? Why the vampire girl?_

I looked around in surprise. Someone's thoughts were coming into my head, loudly. The voice wasn't anyone in my family, but it sounded strangely familiar. I sat up straighter, peering out my window, and let out a gasp. A giant red wolf was pacing, going around in circles. It shook off the rain, and I recognized him with a shiver. Jacob.

He stopped and looked up at the window. Our eyes met and a tingle went down my spine. His eyes were dark and chocolatey, and I felt lost in them. After what seemed forever, he looked away, walking out of view of the window as he approached the house. I bit my lip nervously. Taking a brief second to collect my thoughts, I wandered down to the kitchen, wondering if he would be outisde so I could talk to him. There was a tapping at the back door, and I paused. Jacob Black, in human form, was standing at the door. I could see him through the window.

This was what confused me. Hanging out with the Cullens this last month, I'd been basically informed about the werewolves. They guarded La Push and Forks, and they were the enemies of vampires. The only reason they let the Cullens stay there was because of their diet type; yet the Cullens still weren't allowed on La Push territory. Did that make me the "enemy", then? Because I hung out with the vampires? This month was definitely a whole new universe for me.

Jacob tapped again at the window, looking as nervous as I felt. I didn't know too much about Jacob. I knew he and Bella were friends, and they stopped hanging out after Edward and the Cullens came back. Bella and I had talked briefly about him...but still. And Edward definitely didn't take to him. In his mind, he saw Jacob as dangerous and immature; a ticking bomb that could explode at any moment.

But I looked to Jacob again, and his eyes sucked me in. I walked to the door, opening it without hesitance.

"Um, hi." Jacob said. We had never met before; I only knew him from the memories of the Cullens. I stared at him with a red face. His hair was messy and dark, and he was only wearing jeans. He had dark skin that only looked darker in the night, and I couldn't help looking at his chest, which was very nicely shaped. I blushed more.

"Hi." I bit my lip again. I felt like I had goosebumps, and not the bad kind.

He extended a hand. "I'm Jacob Black." He smiled shyly.

"I'm Claire. Claire Picardal." I took his hand, and suddenly felt extremely shy. His hand was hot and sent tingles across my body.

"So you're the vampire girl." He chuckled nervously. A faint smile grew on my face.

"That would make you wolf boy." I joked. We both let out awkard laughes. I remembered when two weeks ago or so, the Cullens had met with the pack. They wouldn't let me or Bella tag along, but Bella somehow convinced (I had a feeling it was more "seduced" then convinced) Edward into taking her along. Which he warily did. Later, Alice and Bella told my about the meeting. The pack was apparently not happy that I was hanging out with the Cullens. They were nervous for me, and when they found out I could read minds, then they were nervous _about_ me. As if I was a danger to them, or something. I tried to remember if they knew anything else about me. Bella had described the pack as a very close, tight-knit group.

I snapped out of my thoughts when I realized I was still holding his hand. Jacob looked down too, and pulled away quickly.

"So...I'm here because-Well I never, so I don't-" Jacob stammered out, trying to explain his thoughts to me.

"You imprinted on me right?" Wow. I was surprised at myself for being so blatant.

"Um, yeah." He seemed a bit surprised I knew what it was. "Been talking to Bella, huh?"

I nodded shyly, my face bright red again.

"So." He paused, meeting my gray eyes with his intense, dark ones. "You know what that means, right?"

I paused again. "It means you're my soulmate." I wasn't positive in the dark, but he looked like his face was as red mine.

"Yep." I lost my train of thought for a moment, and helplessly stared in his eyes. It annoyed me a bit; I felt like I was under a spell.

"Guess that gets rid of that whole annoying dating process, huh?" I joked dryly.

Jacob grinned, laughing. "Guess so." I couldn't help smiling too.

Another minute passed, though it felt like longer. I realized I was staring intently again, and he was doing the same. I understood more why Bella and Edward would randomly stare at each other so intensely, and kind of bothered me at the same time.

"So, was that you who was following me earlier, then?" I asked, shuffling my feet.

"Yeah, well..." He trailed off, smiling. I smiled too.

"So, what does this mean then?" This whole thing confused me, finding your soulmate just by looking at them. It didn't seem very logical, but then again, what was? Vampires, werewolves...hell, I was a mind-reader!

Suddenly, I realized something.

I couldn't read Jacob's mind.

I tried to focus on it, and he looked at me in confusion. Nothing.

"...Are you ok?" Jacob asked, bewildered.

"Yeah. Yeah...fine." What did this latest revelation mean?

"Good. Then..."

I looked up at him in expectation, and he smiled.

"Do you want to come hang out with the pack tomorrow?" He had a hopeful expression on his face. I sucked in a breath.

For the last month, I'd been practically "trained" to not trust the wolves. I knew somewhat the basics about them, but hanging out with Edward and Bella all the time, werewolves had not been a popular topic. Bella told me what she knew, and Edward just sat there fuming about them. He didn't like or trust them. It had almost been programmed into me (through all of Edward's angry thoughts) to be afraid of them.

But I looked up into Jacob's smiling face, and felt nothing but trust for him. I smiled too, and nodded.

"Sure. Sounds fun."

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A/N: So, Claire is being dazzled by Jacob as much as Bella is dazzled by Edward. hehe. And I know it was short and not that amazing, but it will get better with every chapter. Promise. I've got the whole thing figured out, I just need to put it on paper. :D I am TOTALLY aware of how corny it was. Honestly. It will get better. Stop mocking me and my fluffiness. I'M LIVING IN A DREAM WORLD!! And now...

**REVIEW.**


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